The White Ribbon (2009, Austria/Germany/France/Italy)

I wouldn't say that Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon starts off innocently - far from it - but apart from some of the typical long takes and following shots, it lulls you into something of a disarmed state until about midway through, when certain scenes make it evident exactly who is behind the camera. Despite one storyline that is far sweeter, and seemingly genuinely so, than anything I've seen Haneke do in the past, the majority of the intertwined plot threads focus on the venal, vengeful, and quite probably evil nature of humanity. I like Haneke's films quite a lot, but it can be hard to leave the theater without wanting to lock yourself away for several days until some meager hope in humankind returns.

That said, I did not find The White Ribbon as affecting as, say, Cache or Funny Games. Perhaps because it is less audacious in its structure, more focused on giving the lie to what we find familiar or nostalgic - surely a reason for Haneke's choice to film in low-contrast black & white. Possibly because he makes it quite plain from the opening minutes who is most likely responsible for at least the immediate crimes that are being perpetrated in the village. Then again, perhaps he leaves such obvious clues because it is not the crimes themselves that are meant to be "solved", but rather the more hidden roots of those crimes. Are some people just born evil? Or do layers upon layers of national and personal history come together to create the perfect incubator for evil? And why do some succumb, and others not? Haneke, true to his nature, never seeks to answer these questions in the declarative. Instead, he leaves just enough on the screen to lead each viewer to his or her own interpretation. Why else would the narrator open the proceedings with a caution that the story we're about to see may in fact not be true?